Last weekend was the first Draft with Chuck Fletcher at the helm; Fletcher pledged to restock the talent pool, and valued our picks as "currency." The importance Fletcher places on these picks was evident, as he turned 6 picks into 8 prospects and a roster player (Kyle Brodziak,) who he acquired in a trade with Edmonton. Brodziak has since been tendered a qualifying offer to retain his services for the upcoming season(s).
In an effort to maximize any sort of insight a summarium may have, I have enlisted the always helpful and gracious Max Giese, who is the Director of Scouting for McKeen's Hockey to review the selections.
1st Round, 16th Overall - Nick Leddy, D, Eden Prairie HSWhile Minnesota started the Draft with the 12th overall pick, Fletcher and Co.
brokered a deal to move down and ultimately selected Leddy; Tommy Thompson, Assistant GM, has since come out and stated that they had Leddy as the top guy on their board at 12 and could have selected him there, but opted to move down and gain more assets in addition to the 16th pick.
Max Giese on Leddy:
Leddy has offensive potential- he can really skate (obviously), but what makes him so special is the way he sees the ice and can handle the puck at top speeds. He can run the powerplay and hammer it from the point. The biggest thing for Leddy is just to get stronger, he competes physically and is a smart kid in his own end, but he lacks the strength to control his mans body around his crease and down low along the wall. He will probably need two years with Minnesota and then will go pro.To put the Leddy selection in perspective; I know there's a furor over The Wild passing on Jordan Schroeder (twice) and now that he's a Vancouver Property he and Leddy will always be tied together, but think about this- Tommy Thompson said that Leddy is farther along than Keith Ballard was at 18, and Pat Micheletti, Gopher Hockey Legend and KFAN contributor, said that he's more polished now that Jake Gardiner (16th overall, 2008) and Ryan MacDonagh (12th Overall, 2007) were at this stage of their careers. Leddy's not a sexy pick per se, but one that could pay some serious dividends down the line.
3rd Round, 77th Overall - Matthew Hackett, Goalie, Plymouth WhalersHackett was the top-ranked North American Goaltender who eventually took the starting job in Plymouth from Jeremy Smith. He is the nephew of former NHL Goalie Jeff Hackett. According to Thompson, Hackett was one of "their guys"- a player they really wanted to get.
Giese on Hackett:
Hackett, I never seen him play, but McKeen's chief scout David Burstyn really likes him and his bloodlines. Hackett really came on the second half of this season and rocketed up the rankings.Burstyn from the McKeen's Draft Guide:
"Hackett's biggest areas of development have been his athleticism and overall mobility...he understands his size and readily comes out to challenge...his consistency improved over the course of the season...rebound control markedly improved...glove hand needs improvement, as he tends to drop down early and exposes net over his left shoulder.A very savvy pick, a pick that wouldn't have been possible if Fletcher hadn't traded down from 12. Hackett's a very nice piece to add to the very thin goaltending depth.
4th Round, 103rd Overall - Kris Foucault, LW, Calgary HitmenFoucault played alongside Wild Prospect Carson MacMillan for a powerhouse Calgary squad that ultimately lost in the WHL Final to Kelowna. He was named the
WHL Eastern Conference Championship MVP despite playing in just 26 total games during the season; he was traded from Kootenay to Calgary at the Trade Deadline. Foucault floundered in both Kootenay and Swift Current previously before finding his game in Calgary.
Giese on Foucault:
Foucault is an interesting one, he only had one 1/4 of a good season this year, but oh what a stretch it was. He's a sniper that was previously cut by two junior teams. Could be a major sleeper or he could've just been hot at the right time, we'll see.McKeen's Draft Guide on Foucault (ranked the 78th best player):
"Marries a heavy wristshot with pinpoint accuracy...can find the smallest openings in the top corner, especially with his backhand...has a very soft touch around the net and is a natural goal scorer...doesn't need much time or space to create and has the velocity and hand skills to finish chances in tight...great burst of speed and top end gear...supports the play very well, and has the vision to be an effective playmaker...patient with the puck and will slow plays down if options aren't available to him...willing back-checker but his talent and future lie in his offensive game."
Giese is absolutely right about how Foucault is the ultimate sleeper pick; he only played 26 regular season games, but was a beast in the playoffs...for a stacked team. I'm not ready to anoint him the next Rocket Richard as there are some question marks, but he's very intriguing for a 4th rounder.
4th Round, 116th Overall - Alexander Fallstrom, RW, Shattuck St. Mary'sFallstrom was the youngest player eligible for the 2008 Draft, but slid through undrafted. What a year makes, as he began to mature physically and his game began to grow. Fallstrom is committed to Harvard University.
Giese on Fallstrom:
I saw Fallstrom last year and had time for him but always made sure he wasn't in our rankings because he was a heavy booted skater and despite having good size/willingness to use it he wasn't very effective. He'll never be a dynamic scorer, so he needs to play that honest two-way game and work the whole sheet of the ice, his body developed this year, so did his skating and his entire game was amplified because of it. Lots of teams really liked Fallstrom this year.He sounds like a very smart kid, with a good head on his shoulders, and The Wild can afford to be patient with him while he develops in the NCAA. From all accounts the Wild scouts were very happy to have him be available at this pick.
6th Round, 161st Overall - Darcy Kuemper, G, Red Deer RebelsThe 6'3" Kuemper won the starting job in Red Deer, and went on to post a 21-25-1-7 record in 55 games, with a .898 save percentage on a bad Rebel team. He is another goalie that Thompson and Goalie Coach Bob Mason looked at via DVD, and saw some things that they liked. He could pan out with better positioning and rebound control.
6th Round, 163rd Overall - Jere Sallinen, RW/LW, Timra Jr. Blues (Sweden)While a back injury limited Sallinen to just 9 games this year, he has received an invitation to the Finnish National Junior Team Camp this summer.
Hockey's Future on Sallinen:"Opinions vary widely on Sallinen. Some scouts view him as a Bobby Holik-type power forward while others feel he is merely a big bodied, undisciplined player who put up big scoring numbers playing against smaller junior players but does not have the requisite skill level to be successful at the NHL level. On the plus side, his energy and enthusiasm, as well as a willingness to compete all over the ice, are popular with both teammates and fans alike. While not as awe inspiring as some of the other prospects in Finland, Sallinen is a strong skater and also handles the puck well in traffic. Unfortunately, he suffered a back injury this past season which limited his season to nine games. With his punishing style of play, that is something that has teams concerned."
Tommy Thompson likened him to Jarkko Ruutu, a two-way winger who tends to get under the skin of his opponents. Another prospect, said Thompson, "who fell through the cracks."
7th Round, 182nd Overall - Erik Haula, LW, Shattuck St. MarysHow Haula slid all the way down to the 7th round is mind-boggling; at one point he was seen as
a possible first round pick, and was generally considered to be taken in the first 3 rounds. The Finland Native is a University of Minnesota recruit, although he'll play for Omaha of the USHL this fall.
Giese on Haula:
Haula, some think he just has average size and average skating, but I think his skating is above-average and I was impressed with his skills and ability to make plays in tight spaces. In Fargo he was on the same line as Joonas Nattinen, and he was the one that made the plays and made things happen offensively.NHL Central Scouting's Jack Barzee on Haula:“He's one of the more dynamic players I've seen. He plays with gusto and grit. He can't go through people but has exceptional hands in traffic and can dish off the puck very well. He can play center or wing and scouts have been all over him. He gets involved and is in the game -- he comes at you and sometimes punishes himself.”Thompson has mentioned that he just needs strength and some acceleration, but the rest of the game is there. Like Fallstrom, The Wild have the luxury of just letting him develop right under their nose at The U, and he could prove to be a real gem.
7th Round, 193rd Overall - Anthony Hamburg, C, Dallas Stars AAAHamburg was recommended by Minnesota's New England Scout, Paul Hamill, who saw him play at the National Midget Championship in Pittsburgh. He, in the words of Thompson, is "the biggest leap of faith."
Giese on Hamburg:
I honestly couldn't believe he was drafted. This kid has skill, not super good, but he does have draftable talent, but he's such a dog when I see him. Scouts have been excited about his potential since he was 15, but he never showed me that he has the drive to be a player. I think next year going to Omaha (USHL, Hamburg will be a Senior in HS) will be huge for him, he'll get tested hard and he will have to work hard every night for everything he gets.Giese was nice enough to give me two reports on Hamburg as well:
Anthony Hamburg (2009), C, Undecided
Has loads of talent but is as lazy as they come .. his speed is just above-average, but he has tons of hand skill .. a natural finisher with a real goal scorers presence, as he's deadly with the puck on his blade from within 15 feet of the net .. patient and ever aware with the puck, Hamburg is blessed with supple and quick hands while emerging as a creative offensive catalyst .. lacks size and he's terrible defensively, as he's a train wreck in his own end .. must work harder to fully harness his natural physical gifts.
Anthony Hamburg (2009), C, Dallas Stars AAA
Poised and skilled center with a lot of offensive ability that sees the ice well and is a creative playmaker with a deft-touch, in tight around the net .. trouble is that he lacks urgency and speed, as he is a sloppy skater that also struggles to get back to cover his defensive assignments .. the skill is there but you want to see his skating improve and you do question if he wants it bad enough.
He's your prototype late rounder- a guy you take a flyer on and if he pans out great, if not, then not a big deal. The offensive skill is intriguing, but the reluctance to play both ways is discouraging. He is still 18 and has time to develop, and next year in the USHL should be a big indicator of what kind of player he is.
Kyle Brodziak, Acquired Via Trade From EdmontonBrodziak is a familiar commodity to both Fletcher and Coach Todd Richards, as Brodziak played for the Wilkes-Barre Penguins, the shared AHL club for Pittsburgh and Edmonton at the time. He plays both ways, and his versatility will allow him to be used in a variety of situations- also worth noting is that he's strong at faceoffs and he's right handed, which is something the Wild lacks. If anyone paid attention to any of the Edmonton/Minnesota games over the past two years, Brodziak absolutely killed us. It was a good pickup, and unfortunately for Dan Fritsche, Brodziak is the same player, only cheaper.
So in the end we drafted 8 guys who seemingly have the talent, but really just need physical maturation. Guys like Fallstrom, Sallinen, Foucault, and Haula all have the possibility to be real gems, while Hackett and Kuemper at the very least fill depth at Goaltender. This was a good draft in the sense that its not really flashy per se, but we ended up with more prospects at the end then we had picks to start with, and a roster player. We drafted Talent.
Grade: A-
